Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper

The mission of Baltimore Harbor WATERKEEPER® is to protect and restore Baltimore Harbor and the greater Patapsco River and its tributaries through enforcement, fieldwork, and citizen action in order to make the river suitable for recreation, including fishing and swimming, to improve public health, and to improve the health of the river ecosystem.

Baltimore Harbor WATERKEEPER® Angela Haren became the Waterkeeper in 2016. Angela is an environmental and natural resource attorney with a passion for clean water. She has extensive experience in marine and freshwater resource management and the intersection of energy and water issues. As Director of Advocacy and Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper of Blue Water Baltimore, Angela manages and executes the legal and regulatory advocacy projects that protect Baltimore's waterway. Prior to becoming the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper, she co-founded Clear Resource Law, a boutique firm specializing in legal, policy, and strategy services for environmental projects. Angela brings over twelve years of nonprofit experience including working for the Natural Resources Defense Council and California Coastkeeper Alliance. During law school she served as an extern for the Hon. Magistrate Judge James Larson, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and the Natural Resource Division of the CA Office of the Attorney General. Angela holds a J.D. in Environmental Law from Golden Gate University, an M.P.P. in Environmental and Natural Resource Policy from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and a B.A. in Comparative Literature from UC Davis. Originally from California, Angela enjoys cooking, traveling, hiking and exploring her new East Coast home with her husband and son.

The Baltimore Harbor WATERKEEPER® has an organizational jurisdiction that includes the tidal Patapsco River, also known as the Baltimore Harbor, and the tidal Back River as well as all of their tidal and non-tidal tributary rivers and streams. Our watersheds include the entire spectrum of land use activities, from the ultra-urban Baltimore City community to the rural, agricultural communities in outlying counties.

Its programs include:

WATERKEEPER is out in the field monitoring Water Quality. This program includes Bacteria Monitoring & Adopt-A-Stream.